The Mt. Ida hikes have fallen off the radar these days as the FSR up the the traditional parking area has become inaccessible. It is still possible to enjoy both the east and west summits but the hikes have become a lot more strenuous.
One option for hiking up to the east summit is to start from the industrial area south of Salmon Arm and hike up along Ida’s East ridge. This is a bit of a grueling hike with at least 800m of elevation to the first major lookout over 7km. A detour to the Thornton mines and memorial area is a nice history lesson along the way for those with some luck navigational skills.
